We all employ defense mechanisms to guard what resides in the depths of us. Whether these façades are intentional or not they still exist. We wear many masks depending on our surroundings; we are chameleons in that sense. In my paintings, the figures get pushed back into space as flat color dictates their immediacy. The atmosphere is abstract and ambiguous, lending little information as to the context of the figure.

I work on canvas and wood panel using acrylic and oil paints. I start with undirected action painting to create the ground. Then, with the use of glazes, I proceed to push areas back and bring some forward. This creates an atmosphere the figures occupy, rendering only some areas realistically while leaving others more mysterious and undefined.

The manner in which the figure is painted combines the deconstruction of shape and color, light and shadow, with that of something more realistic. Fragments of the arms or face will be painted more defined where other areas may trail off. The final shattered image is a metaphor for the way in which we—like chameleons—obscure our identities.